This invention relates in general to grasping devices, and more particularly to a grasping device which is associated with a walking aid and is remotely actuated from the handle of such aid.
When a person is incapacitated due to illness, injury, or merely advanced age, it often occurs that such person is unable to perform certain menial tasks which are normally taken for granted. Of particular concern is the picking up, or grasping of articles of immediate necessity when no one else is arround to render aid or assistance. Moreover, simply being able to accomplish the pickup or grasping of desired articles for one's self enables that person to establish a certain degree of independence and self-esteem. This is highly beneficial for improving both the physical and mental health of such person.
In an effort to provide the ability to pick up or grasp articles, various devices have been proposed. Typical of such devices is a mechanical claw-like mechanism where the jaws thereof are manually actuated from a remote location, by, for example, a complex extension linkage. However, such mechanical type mechanisms may require a degree of strength and/or dexterity that the operator is not capable of performing.